James with such a dish, don't hold it up

So far this season, the Warriors have a 3-1 record when Curry is out, the Mavericks are 5-1 without Doncic, the Grizzlies are 6-4 without Morant, and the Magic are 12-5 without Banchero. And what about the Lakers without James? This hasn't happened yet.

When James said he was going to play 82 games at the start of the season, I certainly thought he was joking. But so far this season, James has really attended all of the Lakers' games, all back-to-back. It was the first time in four seasons that James played in all of his first 21 games.

But apparently since that game in which the Magic was killed by the Magic because of a bad free throw, James' form has plummeted, including the Lakers' entire team's state has fallen into a slump, and it was very difficult to win against the Jazz yesterday.

James has missed 15 three-pointers in three straight games after tying Korver with three-point shooting, and today he made 0-of-2 again in the first half, giving up 17 in a row. He was not just short of three points, he was 1 of 9 in the first half, did not score a single after the opening empty dunk, simply made a layup across the bridge, threw the cap, and missed consecutive backward shots.

James' three-point shooting rate was once close to 45%, but after losing consecutive games, the three-point shooting rate has come to 35%. The three-point accuracy is a cliff decline, and his competitive state is also a cliff decline.

The Lakers played as if they had just played an all-night at an Internet café, washed their faces and played, and only Russell, who was suspended yesterday due to illness, was online. The Lakers' offensive efficiency is seventh in the league, and offense should have been the key to victory, but with James completely lost, the Lakers couldn't find the main offensive direction.

In the second half, the expected recovery of James did not come, instead of a three-point shot close to the open position, many outrageous mistakes, the team's morale dropped to a low point, and the gun was surrendered early in the final quarter. Including today's thick eyebrows, there are only 4 out of 14, and the state is not right.

James was 4-of-16 from the field and 0-of-4 from three-point range to finish with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 turnovers. When James scored 9 points in the final quarter, I really wanted to break the double-double record without consecutive points, the record of 1242 games is too long, and it is no problem to say that there is no one to come.

Of course, James later broke through to make fouls, and after making 1 of 2 free throws, he extended his streak of consecutive double-doubles to 1,243 games. To say that James fans also know well, James is also thinking about continuing this record in the last quarter, and as for the outcome of the game, the suspense has long been lost.

Records are of course glory, but sometimes they are also a shackle. Of course, James who is in normal condition doesn't have to think about such a double-double, but on a bad night like today, the more he throws away, the more he wants to score, and the vicious circle is not adjusted for the whole game.

Today is also the 1,800th game of James' career, the regular season plus the playoffs, of course, if you count last year's midseason finals, it should be 1,801 games. No one in NBA history has played 1,800 games, and the closest is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1,797.

So the evaluation of James is also contradictory, on the one hand, I know that his age is there, his consumption is there, and the objective factors are there. On the one hand, I can't accept James's sudden decline, and I feel that it shouldn't be so.

I've been wondering early on when the real turning point in James' career will come, maybe this season. Last season, James averaged 10.3 shots per game and 5.3 attempts after the breakaway, shooting 59.8 percent from the field.

Prior to this season, James averaged 9.8 shots per game and 4.2 attempts after the breakaway, shooting 50% from the field. His speed is declining, his bounce height is decreasing, and the referee's blowing treatment is getting worse, and the error rate after the breakthrough is increasing. What is visible to the naked eye is that the threat of a James breakthrough is declining.

In the first 10 games of the season, James averaged 23.2 points per game, shooting 44.4% from three-point range, 2.8 turnovers, and only 24.8% of the use; In the next 10 games, James averaged 21.9 points per game, shooting 27.6% from three-point range, 5.1 turnovers, and increasing his usage rate to 30.2%.

As the season progressed, James' attrition increased, and it should be logical that he had an ebb and bustle in form. After all, by the end of this month, he will really turn 40. What the Lakers need to consider is why James played less without the ball and more with the ball at the beginning of the season.

Speaking after today's game, Redick said that James had said he wanted to play 82 games at the start of the season, saying: "If he does, I don't know if it's the best for him and for us. "The meaning is obvious, James should take turns to rest, and it is not good for anyone to force it to play now.

You could say that Ham can't do anything, but for the use of James, for the protection of thick eyebrows, Ham is in place. Playing against the Nuggets at the beginning of last season, James also publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the playing time, and the seeds of contradiction were planted.

Therefore, being a coach in the traffic team is likely to face a situation where he is not a person inside and out, and letting the leading stars play less will be questioned, such as Kerr, who tried his best to protect Curry this season; Let the star of the house play all the time, and it will also be questioned, such as Redick today.

After the first 21 games of last season, the Lakers were 12-9; This season has changed coaches, and the first 21 games are also 12-9. Considering that the Lakers have basically not changed the lineup, considering that James is a year older and the injury situation at the beginning of the season, such a situation is not unacceptable.